Vegan MoFo, Day 6: Sugar Apples

The temperatures are starting to dip here in Kansas. We're seeing chilly mornings and evenings, and everyone's (hopefully) digging out their winter clothing.

I refuse to turn on my heater for good yet, save for checking to make sure it works (I work in HVAC, and you wouldn't believe how many people wait to even check to make sure their furnace is working until it's cold enough to make them really angry. Please, people, check your furnaces).

I'm digging out long socks and long-sleeve shirts to sleep in. It only seems appropriate to include an apple recipe from Meatless Meals. Mrs. Adams used maple syrup and called this recipe "Maple Apples," but I made some changes, and it seems to have worked out.

So I'm calling them...

Sugar Apples
modified from Maple Apples in Meatless Meals, page 87
serves 2

1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup water
2 apples (I have no idea what kind I used...got them from the farmers' market)

In a saucepan, bring the sugar and water to a slow boil. Wash and peel apples. Core the apples--be sure to remove all seeds. Place the apples into the boiling mixture. Simmer until softened, being sure to turn frequently (the water will not seem like enough, but it will be for the next step). Remove softened apples from the pan, and continue to boil the mixture until it thickens (see? aren't you glad you didn't add more water?). Pour thickened syrup over apples. Top with either chopped nuts, powdered sugar (when cooled), vegan whipped cream, or serve with vegan ice cream with the sugar mixture drizzled on top.

{so delicious and autumnal}

{sugary goodness!}

{think I'll enjoy these now and worry about the falling leaves in my yard later...like January}

Stay warm, kiddies!

Jes

VMF Day 6 2011: Want To See My Collection?
VMF Day 6 2010: Um, I Lurv Books...Maybe Too Much

Magenta Pie

I'm not going to post anything about recent VegNews controversy, other than to say that I have loved buying and devouring everything in the magazine for the last year.

Enough said, and moving on to PIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! {I couldn't think of anything as exciting to segue into! If you can, get your own blog!!}

I had frozen blueberries. I had a pie crust taking up space in my small freezer. I had a couple of apples killing time in the crisper that needed to be used.

So they got used. And in the tastiest way possible (no, not that way, perv!)

Magenta Pie (Apple and Blueberry Pie)

loosely adapted from allrecipes.com

Pie Innards:

1 pre-made vegan pieshell

2 cups frozen blueberries

3-4 apples, small dice--I used some Fujis that were hanging out in my fridge

zest and juice of 1 lemon

3/4 cup vegan sugar

1/6 cup AP flour

1/6 cup wheat flour

Topping:

2/3 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup rolled oats

1/4 cup AP flour

1/4 cup wheat flour

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

pinch salt

6 tbsp. slightly melted Earth Balance vegan butter

Preheat oven to 375 deg. F. Parbake pieshell for about 7-10 minutes until it starts to slightly brown.

Mix the ingredients listed under "Pie Innards" together in a mixing bowl and "ooo" and "ahhh" at the lovely magenta color that develops. In a separate mixing bowl, mix together the ingredients under "Topping."

Dump the "Pie Innards" into the parbaked pie shell. Cover with the "Topping." I had some leftover that I just started eating from the bowl, but you could probably not be gross like me and save it. 'Cuz you're cool.

Bake pie for about 40-50 minutes until the top browns a little. I turned the broiler on at the very end, so my pie is darker on top (wait, that sounds wrong).

Eat!!!!

This pie was still good (and tasty for breakfast!) for like 3 days afterwards. Which was when I took the photos {slacker}.

Jes

Apple Pancakes with Passionfruit Tea-Infused Maple Syrup. Yup.

You know when you've had the utter week from Hell and you're not looking forward to the next week? You know what helps that out? Pancakes.

No lie.

I was a right mess before I got home and wanted something to cheer me up. Pancakes came to mind. Then I remembered the organic honeycrisp apple hanging out in the kitchen and wanted some of that, too. Together.

Solution to my worldly troubles: Apple Pancakes.

How can this NOT make someone happy?

1/2 cup AP flour

1/2 cup spelt flour

sprinkle of sea salt

1 tbsp turbinado sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon

2 tbsp veg oil

1 cup soy milk

1/2 tsp vanilla ext.

1 apple, small dice, microwaved to cook for about 1-1 1/2 minutes

Mix dry ingredients. Mix in wet ingredients. Toss in cooked apple dices. Stir, stir, stir. Heat your griddle/pan and scoop up the lovely mixture onto said cooking implement.

Now, the fun part!

I didn't just want maple syrup, and I wanted to try out the Passionfruit Tea my thesis advisor gave us for the wedding (it comes from a local shop, and it smells like I'm walking in a grove of flowers...SUPERB.). So, I put the real maple syrup in a small saucepan and added about 1/4 cup of brewed passionfruit tea to the pan. Mix, heat. YUM.

I didn't think it made any difference at first, but when I started to dip the pancakes into the syrup mixture, I could smell and taste the passionfruit tea. It really changed the syrup...I loved it.

Stack of 'cakes

My day instantly became much happier!

Jes